For a country with 7,000 years of history, Malta isn’t usually a place that comes up often on your radar of potential vacation spots. It gets overlooked for other Mediterranean spots like Cinque Terre or Positano or Corfu. Here’s why it shouldn’t. On a map, Malta looks like just a peek of land below Sicily; you’d miss it if you weren’t squinting with the intention to find it. But this Mediterranean nation is a unique gift that keeps on giving for travelers who like food, wine, beaches, and history. Two majorly important Caravaggio paintings are here under one roof, in one of the most jaw-droppingly gilded cathedrals you’ll ever see. The island is home to the oldest free-standing structures on the planet (yes, older than the pyramids). They make a very tiny quantity of very good wine, and more than enough cheese to eat along with it. Most recently, its claim to fame has been Hollywood’s use of the timeless landscape for filming (i.e. Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Assassin's Creed, Murder on the Orient Express). With tourism numbers growing wildly every year, it’s time to visit Malta.
